Snowboard boots serve as the most direct connection between you and your board, making them essential for control, safety and comfort. Once you've gotten past important choices such as hard or soft boots and technical freestyle or freeride boots, you'll have to find the right size. Snowboard boots typically use standard U.S. sizing measurements, but they require a few special considerations to get just the right fit.

Step 1

Determine your shoe size. Generally, your snowboard boot size is the same as your regular shoe or boot size. If you need to determine this size, place a piece of blank paper just in front of a chair on a hard, level surface. Wearing your snowboard socks, sit in the chair and place your foot flat on the paper. Slowly trace the outline of your foot with a pen or pencil. Measure the length from the tip of your longest toe to the very middle of your heel with a ruler. Refer to a shoe size conversion chart, available for free from online footwear retailers, to convert your size in inches to your size in U.S., UK or other shoe sizes.

Step 2

Try the boots on while wearing your snowboard socks. Lace the boots all the way up and walk around the store to see if you feel comfortable. Flex your foot; if you are able to wiggle your toes a bit but your heel stays in place, you have a good fit.

Step 3

Strap into your binding, attached to your snowboard. Stand in a riding position while wearing the boots and shift your weight to the front, then to the back. A properly sized boot will stay securely in place and will not cause your foot any pain. If the boots slip, you feel stress in your feet, or your heel lifts off the insole, try another size.

Step 4

Pull the insole out of the boot, if possible. Hold the insole up against your foot to compare their measurements. If their lengths match, this indicates a good fit. Even if you feel a little pressure when wearing the boot, chances are the pressure will lighten as you break the boot in, which causes the boot's interior padding to compress.

Step 5

Choose the smaller of the two sizes if you are between boot sizes. A snug size helps stabilize your heel hold while oversized boots may prove dangerous on the slopes, as they reduce your control over the board.

Tip

If the snowboard boots you want come in European sizes, also known as Mondopoint sizes, refer to a conversion chart. Snowboard equipment retailers and online sports shops offer these charts free of charge.

Walk around the house for a few days in your new boots to break them in before boarding.

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About the Author

Dan Ketchum has been a professional writer since 2003, with work appearing online and offline in Word Riot, Bazooka Magazine, Anemone Sidecar, Trails and more. Dan's diverse professional background spans from costume design and screenwriting to mixology, manual labor and video game industry publicity.